The estate of a man who was run over by a bulldozer while being chased by Pennsylvania State Police for illegally growing a handful of pot plants is nearing settlement of its federal wrongful death lawsuit against the state.

Gregory Longenecker, a 51-year-old short-order cook and Grateful Dead Fan, had fled into thick brush after being caught growing 10 marijuana plants on public land near Reading. His body was found under the treads of a Pennsylvania Game Commission bulldozer that state police had commandeered in pursuit.

The suit by Longenecker’s family contended that state police and the game commission took “crazy and lethal action” against an unarmed man who posed no threat, then destroyed or withheld evidence to cover it up.

A federal judge overseeing the case has scheduled a settlement conference for next month. The hearing will review “the settlement of the wrongful death ... and allocation of settlement proceeds,” according to a Feb. 4 order by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Schmehl.

The filing does not include any details about the pending settlement, including the amount to be paid. The state attorney general’s office, which is representing both agencies in court, confirmed Monday that state police and the game commission have reached a settlement agreement with the plaintiff.

The family’s lawyer, Jordan Strokovsky, declined comment on the settlement but said: “We performed a very thorough investigation and the family is pleased with our findings.”

The July 2018 chase developed as Longenecker and his friend tended their pot plants in a small clearing on state game lands. A game commission worker, operating a bulldozer in the area, spotted their car parked in a field where vehicles weren’t allowed and called police.

The friend surrendered, but Longenecker fled, disappearing into the thick vegetation.

State police began a search, and a state police helicopter pilot, hovering overhead, spotted Longenecker in the underbrush. The suit said that state police Cpl. Michael Taylor asked the bulldozer’s operator, Mark Weiss, if he could climb aboard and blaze a trail in Longenecker’s direction. The pair set off on a “machine of death,” the suited said.

A prosecutor who investigated Longenecker’s death concluded that troopers acted reasonably. Authorities have publicly contended that Longenecker was high on methamphetamine, crawled under the back of the bulldozer when it stopped briefly, and was crushed to death when it started moving again and made a left turn.

The lawsuit called that explanation ludicrous, and witness statements cast doubt on the official version of how he got caught under the machine. The chopper pilot said he had Longenecker in view the entire time, noting in his deposition “that it would be impossible for Mr. Longenecker to crawl under the back of the bulldozer before the bulldozer turned left,” the lawsuit said.

The pilot also told authorities that the bulldozer appeared to be “coming in blind” and that he had tried to tell its operator to stop, but his radio wasn’t working, the lawsuit said.

Longenecker’s family asked why state police didn’t simply get a warrant for Longenecker and arrest him later, given they knew his identity and that his crime was relatively minor. An expert in police tactics also questioned why police would use a bulldozer to chase him.

Both sides recently agreed to dismiss Weiss and Taylor from the lawsuit, leaving the state agencies as defendants. Neither agency had any comment.

What a bizarre story!

Lucky family.

Caterpillar make police specials?

There ya go. A piece of shiet pot grower's family is going to get a big check from the state because he's a piece of shiet and PSP are dumb enough to play his game.

Two stupid parties at that hoe down.

Dam

I think the operator should paint a skull on the side of the machine and get a Public Service Award.



Mike

I’d imagine that he didn’t suffer much

Jeeze....just stop resisting.


12 pot plants gets a Cobra gunship.....

Its been said dope heads do some crazy things. Some even get stupid enough to vote dimocrap.

Im sure Calldumb, Suckermore, UPkiker, PlowboyTim, SAC, Northmam, Piddler etc could confirm.

How can you not outrun a bulldozer?

I am sure the 51 year old short order cook and Grateful Dead fan was destined for great things in life. If the family is awarded based on his income potential, they'll be able to go on one hell of a Big Lots shopping spree.

If he was stoned enough. Sounds like he wasnt quite high enough to me.

Once again if you had not broken the law to start with.... none of this would even be an issue.

I'll reserve judgement on using the dozer until I see all the evidence if that ever happens. But I do think its a bit wild to put lots of effort into someone with a few pot plants. UNLESS it was known that he had a few here, few there, sold a bit etc...

Not funny. I heard he was planning on going to attend cookie school with his harvest sale proceeds, Paul.

The state should be home free, Jeff, if they didnt have him chained to a tree.

Perhaps the dozer would have been put to better use digging out corruption in PA elections?

He’s a Flatnecker now.

No doubt, top speed is probably 10mph.

Clint Walker was a specimen.

First thing came to my mind was the steamroller scene from Austin Powers.

Not everyone needs a $500,000 house and AmEx to be happy, or fulfilled.

Not to pick on you Paul, but I see a lot of digs being taken against folks on here like that.

Ouch.

Big Ouch

I really hate to get serious on these pages, but I will for a fleeting moment. If the guy was good at his job, I'd have a lot more respect for him than I would some of the lazy ass worthless professionals I have had the displeasure of associating with.

Now back to being a dork!

Absolutely right.

Slingin' hash is getting to be a lost art.

Good short order cooks always seem to be in demand around here.

He wasn't trying to outrun it.

He was being an idiot and hiding behind it. When it suddenly moved, it squashed him.

51 yr old short order cook, Greatful Dead fan, pot grower, bulldozer...

What could possibly be the outcome.

How in the fugg do you get squashed by a bulldozer???

LOL!!!

You never fail to amuse me!

He looked to be happy when he worked



His home in PA.

Ok .....
High on meth
Crawls under dozer when it got close.
Dozer pivot turns left and grinds him under the track....
Classic........


LMFAO!!!!

That’s some BS . By chasing him down with a dozier , you’d think he shot a cop or something .

If you ever get a chance to watch the main cook at a Waffle House, do it. The pace is maddening. Those folks flat out earn their money.

What about this part.

The lawsuit called that explanation ludicrous, and witness statements cast doubt on the official version of how he got caught under the machine. The chopper pilot said he had Longenecker in view the entire time, noting in his deposition “that it would be impossible for Mr. Longenecker to crawl under the back of the bulldozer before the bulldozer turned left,” the lawsuit said.

The pilot also told authorities that the bulldozer appeared to be “coming in blind” and that he had tried to tell its operator to stop, but his radio wasn’t working, the lawsuit said.

Not waffle house, but I've seen them in many other places.

I could never do it.

That was the Russki's way to neutralize German foxhole occupants on the Eastern Front. Squishhhhh!

Meth is a wonderous drug.
Makes for some hilarious stories....
LOL!!!

This is some trench, tank pivot steer and grind and bury em their holes schit.


1/72nd Armour was doing that schit to haji,s in spider holes with their M1,s and Bradleys outside of Ah Najaf.


TFF!!!

Short order cook ground the fugg up.......

He had to be dead or unconscious before the dozer go to him......nobody is that stupid.

Biden voter?

They are actually over qualified for stupid...

maybe got caught up in the brush and couldn't get out of the way.

Why did he not grow the pot in his basement? Hard to get runned over by a bulldozer in your basement.

I imagine if the guy dove under the dozer just before it turned left the tracks smeared him into the ground pretty good.

I ran my pickup through a parking lot full of deadheads while trying to leave the Naval Base after a long day of work. Idiot cops had the base exit closed so the deadheads could get into the stadium from the freeway. I was so pissed that I drove over the curb and through the druggie infested parking lot the wrong way and made all the dopers scatter. Just put on my Officers Cap, sunglasses, windows rolled down, shouting GTFOTW, honking my horn, flipping them the bird.

It was great. Nothing like a Grateful Dead Concert!

Looks like they tracked him down.

ha, sorry didn't mean to be a downer. If the google ninjas posted pics of some of my homes I'd be made fun of too. It's just an easy poke, like a loser with a divorce, or cuckold raising someone else's kid. Might be more to the story is all.

Fleeting moment gone.

So how high do you need to be to let a bulldozer sneak up on ya?

that bulldozer would be handy when the BLM start protesting

If he'd been higher, the 'dozer would've driven under him.

Thought it funny that the article has a Grateful Dean Fan link going to a song titled "He's Gone". Quite apropos as "nothing's gonna bring him back".

Is that before or after you slapped them upside the head with your 1911, and called the range officer over to take them away?

I Don't believe I've ever before heard of a bulldozer referred to as a "Machine of Death."

training........

Liberal kuhnt article, with the usual editorials thrown in.

Yep, another convicts family hits the lotto! gotta be a special triple kind of stupid to not outrun a damn dozer.

Trump would have let him be

This happened not far from me. This "grow operation" was on a local State Game Lands. Remember hearing when it happened that the dozer was in the area doing habitat work when the doper fled the cops and was pressed into service to clear a path for the cops through the thick stuff the guy fled into. Either way I personally cant understand how someone would remain in the path of a dozer SLOWLY plowing through heavy brush towards them enough to get crushed. I guess the dopers litter grow operation paid off for the family in the end as Im sure they are in line for some serious cash!

Cause of Death: Skull Fracture

Even a blind Cat gets a rat every once in a while.

Thats not nice, you know Gun. He coulda been too stoned to run.

Actually, it's a very common problem.

LOL, was sitting at a RR crossing a couple hrs ago, yep, 260lb 20ish year old Rotunda waddled up to the dope shop, that Duroc was in there 15 minutes, came waddling back out with her dope clutched up high between her boobs, funny part her back boobs were bigger than the front ones! .................fuggin demo-commie, shoulda got out and booted her in the taint!

Thanks for taking notice of my efforts to entertain.

Higher than a Georgia Pine.👍👍👍👍

Crazy that this happened 15 mins from my house and this is the first I have ever heard of it.

Dozer noise dont carry that far.
Or screams either.

So tell us about your state cops, do they often pizz away your funds by calling the helicopters brigade out in pursuit of petty crimes?

And I thought the OJ white bronco chase was slow.

Unfortunately they do. Not a crime but about 10 years ago a group of guys archery hunting close to here called the cops because their buddy didn't come out of the woods at dark. State cops showed up and the first thing they did was call for a helicopter. Chooper showed up 20 mins later and at the same time the “missing person” walked out of the woods. Guy left his phone in his truck and was busy dragging his buck out!

While he definitely didnt appear to be blessed with an overabundance of common sense, I find the idea of calling in helocopters for a hippy growing a handful of plants far more retarded. Sounds like the dozer was already on scene and the operator got caught up in the chase.

Maybe he had a long rapsheet of violent priors?

Oh well.....He's with Jerry now.

Lol maybe....I work heavy equipment daily and can vouch for how slow and LOUD a dozer is plowing through brush....then again I havent killed off most of my brain with drugs!

I dont see how the jagoffs family has a lawsuit here. Im sure the Game Commission dozer operator who got pulled into the pursuit didnt intentionally tread the clown, play stupid games win stupid prizes!!

Dozers, loaders, excavators, track equipment in general are slow.
Not a lot adds up in this story. Lot more to it than what’s being reported.

Maybe he was havin' a overdose of that mary j juana stuff?

Like I said this isnt far from me and "word on the street" at the time was that people found the small grow on the Gamelands. PSP and Game Wardens attempted to bust the clowns when they went to check it. One surrendered, one ran. Game Commission maintenance crews were in the area doing habitat work on the gamelands and were asked to assist with the dozer plowing a path, as the suspect had fled into some very thick cover. For whatever reason the stoner hunkered down or tried to get right up at the machine and got squashed when in turned.

It amazes me the amount of time and money wasted chasing down people growing a plant, jeez youd think the guy robbed a bank

It's the Debbil's weed man.

Most of the ills of society can be traced back to it.

I know. We went fully legal in 2014 and when I last looked out the window a few minutes ago, the sky still hadn't fallen.

From the title I figured he was passed out in the poppy field when they decide to plow the plants under...